Conventional battery powered circuits are subject to failure when the voltage supplied by the battery drops below a tolerable limit. Battery voltage generally decreases as the battery discharges. A battery that is not fully discharged may also exhibit undesirable relatively low voltage. For example, when energy is drawn from the battery in pulses, the battery voltage may decrease during the delivery of a relatively high current pulse. Battery voltage may also decrease with decreasing temperature.
There remains a need for a signal generator circuit that provides relatively high energy pulses and operates reliably from battery power. Such a signal generator may be used in an electric discharge weapon where high reliability is desirable. Without systems and methods of the present invention, batteries cannot be used efficiently and reliably to full capacity by signal generator circuits.